Question

a clay ball (0.65kg) is thrown at a wall and sticks. The speed of the ball before hitting the wall was 15 m/s. It took 45 miliseconds for the clay to come to a stop and make contact with the wall. What was the average force the wall exerted on the wall during the collision?

Answer 1

In order to determine the average force the wall exerted on the ball, use the following formula:

`F=(\Delta p)/(\Delta t)`

where

Δp: change in momentum

Δt: change in time = 45 ms = 0.045 s

F: force = ?

calculate the change in momentum as follow:

`\Delta p=m\Delta v=(0.65kg)(15(m)/(s)-0(m)/(s))=9.75\text{ kg}\cdot\text{m/s}`

next, replace Δp and Δt into the formula for F:

`F=\frac{9.75\text{ kgm/s}}{0.045s}=216.67N`

Hence, the average force exterded by the wall on the ball was approximately 216.67N